While all the world's press are busy confirming Keith Stanfield's undisclosed role in the Wingard directed Death Note movie, we can tell you precisely what part the Straight Outta Compton actor will play.

At 11am British time (June 13th 2016), tipped off by dozens of sources that the actor's place on the cast list was now official, Death Note News editor Matti popped on over to his Twitter account to follow him.

Just in time to find Keith Stanfield sneaking in a live feed dancing to a tune of Big L - his finger making that familiar Lawliet mononym shape.

Moreover, that live stream had been retweeted by Adam Wingard and was a mere 39 seconds old. Within a minute it was all gone, deleted from its Periscope.TV host, the Twittersphere and cyberspace as if it had never been.

But for our screenshot, of course.

Could he get more blatant? Apparently yes! As - we're calling it - Death Note's US L actor Keith Stanfield added two more Tweets to fill the void left by his missing live stream. One posted three days ago; the other just now.

Reproduced below, the first read simply 'Hold this L', while the latest retweeted 'Perception is key' - a three year old message (dated September 13th 2013) from @thefirst L, the apparent Official Twitter of L from Death Note. An RPer who right now probably can't believe their luck!

What added impetus - or dissolution - this development brings to the current raging debate regarding the white-washing of Wingard's Death Note cast remains to be seen.

Keith Stanfield is patently not a Protestant White American - as per the overwhelming norm in actor ethnicity shown large upon Hollywood screens. Then again, neither is Nat Wolff, an actor of Jewish heritage cast as Death Note protagonist and L's opponent Light Yagami.

However neither are they Asian (or Asian-American, as the case may be), which is the real flashpoint in this on-going controversy.

As tipped for you in our April 7th 2016 post, Netflix has indeed secured the rights to make the US live-action Death Note film. It's now known that the budget for Wingard's movie will be in the vicinity of $40-$50 million.

While also breaking hot news implied by that headline and all previously discussed above - Netflix officially cast Keith Stanfield in Death Note, as per previously strong rumours reported here last month.

Death Note's director Adam Wingard has been making announcements too vis-à-vis additions to the movie-making team. This one was via Twitter and informed us that Jason Eisener has signed up as 2nd Unit Director.

Poor thing. This must be so exciting for the Canadian director of Hobo With a Shotgun, V/H/S/2 and ABCs of Death. I can't help but imagine that his addition will be a little lost amidst the clamour about the US film's casting of L. Particularly as both public heads up came on the same day.

But Eisener didn't get a nice Variety article. Merely an admittedly 'very excited' Tweet from Adam Wingard, and a mention here from us.

Latest Production Information for Death Note Film

What Jason Eisener's appointment implies, as director of Death Note's second unit, is that there will be at least two sets running concurrently. (Prevailing rumour whispers that there will eventually be three.)

This development in the technical film-making side of things is borne witness is the latest update from the Directors Guild of Canada (download PDF, dated June 10th 2016), which otherwise doesn't add a great deal to what we already reported at the beginning of May 2016.

To spell out what that means - while Wingard oversees the action at one Death Note filming location; Eisener will be in charge of the other. Double the opportunity for Death Note fans to oops-a-daisy accidentally wander into the movie shoot, and get themselves forcibly ejected by security or constabulary.

Hopefully with pictures and/or gossip, which we'll happily share.

Filming on Death Note kicks off in Vancouver on June 29th 2016. It is currently due to finish on August 30th 2016.

A tip-off had been sourced from an 'insider', but no-one at Netflix was available to take repeated calls to query its veracity.

Nor yet the second shared insight. This was that Death Note was nearing production, when Warner Bros decided to end years of dilly-dalling by pulling the rug at the 11th hour. But that bit was obvious. It didn't take a Wammy level genius detective to deduce its truth. This was the only scenario which could account for the studio hiring director and stars for its cast; then suddenly sitting down at the negotiation table with Netflix, now poised to secure Death Note's production rights for itself instead.

A little out of left-field and accordingly met with surprise by the Death Note fandom, with no little wide-eyed pondering upon the implications.

Most fan comments clocked by Death Note News staff on balance seemed relieved that our tale was out of that studio's hands. Few had really trusted Warner Bros executives in the US, since Black exposed their desire to show Light Yagami muddled, angst-ridden, but fundamentally a good guy, whilst getting rid of Ryuk for Satanic overtones vis-a-vis shinigami.

Now Netflix appeared (and remains so at the time of writing) to be making the Death Note movie; and, if Thom Geier of The Wrap has it right, bringing favoured actor Keith Stanfield into the project too. Though nothing of the sort can be verified until the ink is dry on that deal documentation.

Which leaves fans of Death Note musing upon two big burning questions for the moment:

Will Netlix release Death Note (US movie) in theaters/cinemas, or stream it only?

Who will Keith Stanfield be playing?

With Light - and Misa - already taken, the field is wide open. It could be any Death Note character at all (though the likelihood falls dramatically regarding roles amongst female dramatis personae). In considering it, watch Keith Stanfield in action and see if a name presents itself. Then please do comment with your suggestions. We might be the first to call it!

Miles Ahead Trailer - Keith Stanfield Starring as Miles Davies (2016)

Has he the gravitas to be Soichiro Yagami perhaps? Though, thinking about it, that might raise questions about whether Light (aka Nat Wolff) is really his biological son. Aizawa?

We've actually got dates for the filming schedule of Adam Wingard's Death Note movie! Plus one or two more details besides.

Last we heard, Warner Bros had put the movie up for grabs and Netflix was in the top running to nab it. There's no firm update on that yet, just that the strong rumours remain one nod short of fact.

What we can say is that production is being overseen by the presumably newly formed (considering the name) company DN (Canada) Productions Inc.

They will set up shop in British Columbia on June 22nd 2016, filming in various locations but mostly in and around Vancouver. Though all dates are subject to change, Death Note's film schedule is currently pencilled in to end on August 30th 2016.

As we've been asked this plenty of times and can finally answer it - Death Note's casting manger is Laray Mayfield, who we love for Fight Club. The company's production address is 310 - 330A 555 Brooksbank Avenue, North Vancouver, BC, V7J 3S5. (Tel: 604-983-5400 Email: deathnoteproduction@prodicle.com)

Diving into Death Note - Deadpool's Assistant Director James Bitonti!

Deadpool's James Bitonti has signed up as co-producer and assistant director. There were actually bets being made here on a firm Deadpool/Death Note movie link being established soon. Unfortunately we kept it to ourselves instead of speculating in an editorial, else Death Note News would have appeared hot on the ball and well ahead of the crowd.

Bitonti, of course, is also known for X:Men and Rise of the Planet of the Apes. But Deadpool will be the clincher.

Adam Wingard remains the director, though his real name is actually WILLIAM Adam Wingard, according to the blarb. Producers Masi Oka, Brian Witten and Dan Lin also retain their involvement in the movie; along with executive producers Roy Lee, John Powers Middleton and Adam C. Stone.

Newly brought on-board is executive producer Brendan Ferguson, known for The Butterfly Effect, Sucker Punch and The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus. He will also be acting as unit production manager. He'll be joined in the executive producer role by Doug Davison of How to Train Your Dragon fame.

Drew Locke is stepping in as production manager, Laura Livingstone is PC (anyone know what that stands for?) and Hans Dayal is location manager. He will be assisted in the role by Patrick Subarsky.

Finally, relative newcomer Ryan Halprin will be filling the position of production executive. Whatever that is. He was an assistant to Dan Lin on The Lego Movie, and co-produced the upcoming sequels.

How the story was broken at Variety magazine by Justin Kroll(April 7th 2016)

Adam Wingard's Death Note is likely to start filming in June 2016. But it won't be Warner Bros behind the production anymore. At the moment, it's highly likely to be Netflix.

That is the startling news circulating today.

It's unknown why Warner Bros. has decided to surrender the project, which it's held firmly in abeyance since 2009. During that time, the studio has ordered script rewrites; actors have been linked with various roles, but the rumours rarely came to fruition; while directors have come and gone, one - we're indebted to you, Shane Black - with horror stories of Warner Bros. US attempting to sanitize the Death Note story out of all comprehension.

By the end of 2015 through early 2016, it seemed that Warner Bros. finally had a format which worked for them and all concerned. Adam Wingard was directing; Nat Wolff had signed up to play Kira, with his real life girlfriend Margaret Qualley poised to become the movie's Misa Amane. There was much talk of initial photography beginning in the spring.

Hence the shock nature of the news (broken by Justin Kroll at Variety) that Warner Bros. chose now to put their Death Note film 'into turnaround'.

Opening up a bidding war which Netflix currently seems set to win. Though SFX and Lionsgate are also strongly in the running. (Anyone else think that something about a Lionsgate Death Note feels so right?)

However, there is some speculation that giving up Death Note is part of Warner Bros. previously declared cull on 'homegrown movies', in order to concentrate its resources upon extant franchises known to be successful. The monetary profit for Warner Bros - raised by the sale of its film rights to Death Note - is expected to fall into the ballpark of $40m-$50m.

Adam Wingard, Nat Wolff and Margaret Qualley are all apparently still on board, whichever company snaps the movie up.

Netflix, of course, already has some data concerning the popularity of Death Note. It recently started streaming full episodes of the anime, so can see for itself how many Western viewers are interested in this particular story. However, it's not yet game over for the other bidders. The current status for Netflix and Death Note is 'in final negotiations', which could pretty much mean anything, besides what it says on the packet.

As for fans, it's mostly looking like we will finally get our US live-action Death Note movie, whomever produces it, though it remains to be seen whether that will be available online only, or also released as a theatrical run.

We saw it coming, as soon as Adam Wingard was brought on board. Now Warner Bros Death Note producer Roy Lee has confirmed it - the US Death Note live-action movie is going to be for adults. A dark tone with lots of blood being spilled.

Speaking with The Collider's Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub, at the recent DICE Summit in Last Vegas, Lee stated that Wingard was just 'waiting for us to officially green light the movie, but we have a cast in place.'

Adding that Death Note is 'a movie we’re planning on making this year.'

Then came the vital bit. Weintraub asked about the target audience and Lee answered,

“It’s definitely for adults. It is zero chance it will be below an R-rating,” and went on to say that the tone of the film “will be one of the first manga adaptations that feels very grounded but still has fantastical elements.”~ Roy Lee, The Collider - Exclusive: ‘Death Note’ Movie Rating and Tone Revealed by Matt Goldberg (February 22nd 2016)

Death Note producer Roy Lee

Adam Wingard is known for his horror/suspense movies. Lots of blood and guts, a touch of the old slasher genre, with plenty of gratuitous violence, should the script allow him to ninja some in. Plus sex. And expletives. That's what we've come to expect from Adam Wingard, the man responsible for The Guest (2014), You're Next (2011) and segments of movies like V.H.S. and its sequel. Hence Death Note was already promising to be a little gorily adult themed in amongst his oeuvre.

What Roy Lee had to say merely places a smile on several Death Note News staff-members faces, coupled with a 'obviously seen Deadpool and decided to risk it then' comment or two.

Meanwhile, editor Matti has already been trying to introduce Adam Wingard to the concept of filming the second arc too:

Just started watching 'The Guest'. 30 mins in: David is fundamentally an older #DeathNote Mello. Just saying. Enjoying so far @AdamWingard

The recently announced stars of Death Note 2016 - Sōsuke Ikematsu, Masahiro Higashide and Masaki Suda - have been commenting on their new roles.

Masahiro, who is playing Death Note researcher and investigator Tsukuru Mishima, notes that he's grown up knowing this story. Therefore it's difficult not to be influenced by what has gone before; nor to avoid the pressure in getting it right.

He views the latest story as a three-way, intertwined battle between geniuses. He is enjoying making the movie and hopes that we enjoy watching it, including those discovering the story for the first time now.

'New L' Sōsuke - aka Ryūzaki - is also feeling the pressure: to live up to the legacy left by Ken'ichi Matsuyama in the earlier movies. He feels excited about filming and notes that every day the cast are directed in exceeding the standard of the day before.

This new Death Note story, he feels, contains the central message that human beings are weak and foolish creatures.

Masaki equally remembers when he was in the audience watching earlier Death Note live-action films. That makes it all the more thrilling to be starring in one now.

He sees in his own legacy a hint of Mello and Near in the original manga, insofar as his cyber-terrorist Kira worshipper character Yūgi Shion - plus the parts played by the other two - represent the successors, heirs or children of Light and L. This is the movie equivalent of a Death Note second arc.

He hopes that their 'second half' story will surpass expectations laid down by the first wave of Japanese live-action Death Note movies ten years ago.

Personally they would have had my (tentative) vote straight out, if they'd just HAD Mello in one of these live-action movies. And I don't mean disguised as a young schoolgirl. We're all looking at you, L: Change the World and Maki.

US live action Death Note director Adam Wingard, re-reading the Black Edition,as per his Tweet on December 10th 2015

It's possible to read too much into things, when you're starved of information and the snippets are too few and far between.

However, when strongly rumoured US Death Note movie casting for Light Yagami actor Nat Wolff has kept a resolute silence on the subject, then suddenly tweets a story linking himself and Margaret Qualley both with the project...

Assuming that Nat knows things that we don't know (i.e. the reality and status of those 'final negotiations' concerning his casting as Light Yagami); also that he knows the truth at the heart of all those news articles citing his own girlfriend as the 'leading lady' in Death Note's US live action movie adaption; and furthermore that Nat Wolff wouldn't want to spread disinformation amongst his fans on Twitter.

I conclude that everything written in the Variety piece about the Death Note movie is true insofar as Nat Wolff knows. Fair enough with everyone else?

So what do we know from it about this American Death Note film remake?

Margaret Qualley is still 'in negotiations' to be Nat Wolff's Death Note co-star. (Wouldn't it be wonderful if it turns out that she's L?

Nowhere does it say, nor intimate, that he hasn't secured the part of Light Yagami. In short, let's assume that Nat Wolff IS Kira now (for that version at least).

Adam Wingard is directing; Roy Lee, Dan Lin, Jason Hoffs and Masi Oka are producing; Jeremy Slater wrote the script's most recent draft; Doug Davison and Brian Witten are executive producers (what do these things actually mean? I can't help but imagine that they are just mates of someone with the money, so have to be chucked in somewhere for doing nothing, with titles like 'executive producer' - am I just being cynical and naive?); and Niija Kuykendall and Nik Mavinkurve are hanging about on behalf of Warner Bros.

Death Note starts filming in Spring 2016.

Therefore nothing that we didn't already know, but this time we know it with a touch more certainty.

Preview of Nat Wolff as Light Yagami in the live action Death Note US film

Fans have taken to Twitter to accuse director Adam Wingard of white-washing his movie. 'White-washing' is the phenomenon whereby ethnically diverse characters are uniformly played by white American actors.

Hence such bizarre anomalies as Jake Gyllenhaal playing the eponymous royal in Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, despite the Persian prince patently being, well Persian. Or Johnny Depp cast as First Native Tonto in Lone Ranger.

Or Nat Wolff as the Japanese Light Yagami.

But some Death Note fans haven't taken that lying down. If silence means approval, then Adam Wingard heard the disapproval loud and clear.

Death Note Fans Take to Twitter to Accuse Wingard of Whitewashing Kira

NB Some Tweets re-arranged from the order displayed on Twitter, in order to boost clarity in reading the exchange.Original conversation may be found on September 29th/30th 2015.

This single thread represents just a sample of the 'white-washing Death Note' protests being posted across Twitter over the past couple of days.

They've been coming thick and fast, ever since Nat Wolff as Light Yagami's actor in the US remake of Death Note was first announced. Though we should clarify that Wolff's casting isn't yet finalized.

A guest writer is gearing up to discuss this issue in more depth on Death Note News, but in the meantime, what are your thoughts about this (actual or perceived) white-washing of Light Yagami in the US Death Note live action movie?

And, for that matter, which quarter Japanese, English, Russian and maybe French or Italian actor should play L? That being his ethnicity as described in Death Note 13: How to Read.

Or don't you consider this to be an issue at all?

Vancouver born Osric Chau didn't seem to have a problem, when he gushed over the movie. The Asian-Canadian (mother Malaysian; father from Hong Kong) actor's sentiments were duly reTweeted by Adam Wingard.

Wow! You daren't take your eyes off the latest Death Note news for an instant today. It's all go! Major stories cropping up everywhere!

Right now, it's the turn of the Adam Wingard directed US Death Note movie. Showbiz magazine Variety has just (September 29th 2015) run a story claiming the the long awaited Hollywood adaptation of Death Note is close to casting its Kira.

Californian singer/actor Nat Wolff will play Light Yagami in the USA - as long as 'final negotiations' with the film-makers continue just as planned.

This is going to get confusing fast, as it seems the Death Note US film is due out in 2016. At least production is purportedly starting Stateside during next Spring.

That's in addition to Death Note 2016, which is the Japanese Warner Bros./Nippon TV movie, directed by Shinuke Sato. As the working title suggests, we're expecting that to hit cinemas (or theaters, if you prefer) sometime in 2016.

Yep, you wait years for a Death Note live action film and two turn up at once.

A bit of banter broke out on Twitter between Adam Wingard - director of the (eventually) forthcoming US live action Death Note film - and his friend The Dope Geek, after the former forgot it was James Gunn's birthday.

Apparently we have a new rule for the Death Note now!

@thedopegeek rule LXVII of the Death Note says that the director of the American Live action film cannot be written in the Death Note.

However, the same article - by Miguel Abesamis ('Death Note' Hollywood Remake Gets A Director; Adaptation Slated For An April 14, 2017 Release (August 18th 2015)) - also quotes Warner Bros stating that no release date has yet been decided.

I guess it's more of the 'wait and see what rumour comes next' ethos, in which we Death Note fans are very well versed.

What each report (and all my latest information besides) has in common is that Adam Wingard is most definitely still poised to sit in the director's chair. What Abesamis additionally adds to the general slush of gossip is that Wingard will switch to Death Note after he's finished with The Woods.

That does not bring us to an actual date though.

I suspect that whichever editor produced the headline misread something fundamental. Abesamis's article also discusses a Hollywood adaptation of Ghost in the Shell﻿, which - one of his previous reports tells us - is due for release on April 14th 2017.

As soon as the news broke that Adam Wingard would be directing the new Death Note movie, his usual scriptwriting partner was besieged by well wishers.

Prematurely, as it turned out.

It was an easy mistake to make. Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett tend to come as a double act. Barrett has penned the script for nearly half of Wingard's sixteen movies - 7 in total - including the one that they're working on right now (The Woods).

When they're not doing the director/writer thing, they're acting together, as in the movie 24 Exposures. Or doing something randomly appreciated in the background. (Barrett received thanks in the credits of Wingard's Home Sick. It didn't say why.)

In short, it's a bona fide bromance. Where one goes the other generally follows. We might as well imagine Mello without Matt, as Wingard without Barrett. So pretty much everyone presumed that Adam's appointment - as director of the Death Note US live action movie - meant that Simon would be writing the script.

He's not. He's outed himself as Death Note dumped on Twitter, after returning from a long day's filming on The Woods to find his social media straining under the weight of the fandom. An explosion of Death Note homies rushing to congratulate him on a plumb job snatched and landed.

Maybe once Adam Wingard has his foot in the door, he'll try to ninja his old friend in. You never know. We'll just have to wait and see.

Contrary to the previous situation with Gus van Sant - last director in the frame - we do have some indication that Wingard is genuinely involved in our Death Note US live action film. No frustrating silence there, he Tweeted a link to Hollywood Reporter article breaking the news; followed Manga US (and Todd Masters - Monster maker. Filmmaker. Creative Dude. - dunno if that is related); then finished up two days later with this lovely message:

Awww! Bless him! It must be pretty crazy being on the receiving end of all that! Now as long as he makes the movie and doesn't break our hearts with watered down, moralistic crap - as Warner Bros was mooted to be pushing for under Shane Black's abortive tenure - then we'll continue to enthuse right along with him.

For now, I'm grinning right along in support and assuming that the director of V.H.S., The Guest and You're Next is going to give us a Death Note that is suitably dark.

(Or, at this stage, is it down to just 'give us a Death Note' in live action form? Considers how bad that could possibly be given a Disney-esque filter or a non-ambiguous good guy/bad guy, black and white lens... No, I'd rather do without, if the only shades of grey allowed in Hollywood these days are the obligatory fifty of Christian's whip.)

Though with Simon Barrett's potential script already lost from the running, we can only assume that Adam Wingard will be working from the one already written and erstwhile gathering dust on the table. The original (give or take a dozen drafts and rewrites to date) penned by Anthony Bagarozzi and Chuck Mondry, based on an earlier version - vetoed by Warner Bros - by Charley and Vlas Parlapanides.

Excepting Charley, all three are still listed by IMDb as the US Death Note scriptwriters, but they've since been joined by Fantastic Four screenplay writer Jeremy Slater. He was also responsible for The Lazarus Effect.

In short, is this still the script turned down by Shane Black as being too ridiculous to contemplate? Or has Slater reinserted the Shinigami and returned Light to being the God of this New (or in our case, quite old and familiar now) World? I guess time will tell whether we'll be pleased, or sobbing over could have beens before a silver screen resolutely not listing Simon Barrett's credit.

There's nothing like opportunism and German rockers No Need to Stay can see it shining like a New World God. However they need your assistance here. Are you up for it?

The US Death Note live action movie gaining a new director is diverting news for us all, but when you have a successful hard rock tune all about Light Yagami, then there are possibilities here.

Asuka from No Need to Stay is no stranger to Death Note News. He gave us an interview a few months back all about his band's song The Chosen One.

Now he's nipped back to ask if we'd help No Need to Stay end up on the Death Note soundtrack. All he's asking is that we Tweet The Chosen One to Adam Wingard. Perhaps with a 'isn't this a lovely Death Note song for a movie soundtrack?' comment or three. Just to, you know, get it into the director's orbit. Onto his playlist and all.

What do you say? We going to help Asuka and crew here? Oh What the Hell:

Anybody getting deja vu? After all that talk of Shane Black, then Gus van Sant directing the long awaited US Death Note movie, we now have a third announcement.

Adam Wingard (The Guest, You're Next, V/H/S (1 and 2)) is set to direct Death Note, according to an exclusive at The Hollywood Reporter (April 27th 2015).

However, it won't be immediately. He's still got The Woods to film and get out first.

Roy Lee, Dan Lin, Jason Offs and Masi Oka are mooted to be Death Note's US producers.

With Adam Wingard at the helm, we're probably looking at a Hollywood version of Death Note which focuses totally upon the horror. At this point in time, I'm not nearly so buzzed as I was when I thought Gus van Sant would be giving us an adaptation. This feels more gore than drama, but then I could be very wrong.

Whatever happens, it seems that Death Note is becoming big news again. Two theatrical performances; a television show with new story-lines; and now we have the practically mythical Death Note US movie popping back into existence.